Due to its viscosity and its ability to cling without being sticky, oil is an excellent lubricant. Vehicles with gasoline powered motors use oil almost exclusively as a lubricant.
During the course of operation of the gasoline powered motors the quality of the lubricating oil deteriorates due to friction and internal heat of the engine. Further losses of oil occur due to leakage through gaskets and evaporation. In addition, the oil used to lubricate the engines has a limited useful lubricating life and occasionally must be drained and replaced. Oil for replacing that oil lost during operation of the engine or for replacing that oil drained as part of routine servicing is marketed in cardboard cans with metal tops. To dispense the oil from the can, the can may be punctured with a can opener and the oil poured through a funnel into the engine oil filling receptacle.
Using a separate can opener and funnel is not as efficient as using a combination oil spout that punctures the can and provides a spout for guiding the oil into the engine oil filling receptacle. Such a spout is in common use at service stations, garages, and by the general public.
Due to its nature, an amount of oil is retained by the spout after use. The oil retained by the spout is a residue left after the spout has been used to transfer the contents of a can of new oil into an engine. When the spout is stored for later use, the oil tends to slowly drip off the spout and/or collect dust. After using the spout several times, a significant amount of oil will drip into the spout storage area creating a significant, oily mess. For this reason, the oil spout requires a special storage container.
In addition to being messy, oil dripping from the spout is wasted oil. Collecting the oil would eliminate the mess and would also eliminate the waste of the oil. Although only a few drops of oil may be collected each time the spout is used, a commercial establishment such as a service station could collect a considerable amount of oil in a short time when the volume of oil such a business sells is considered.
The problems of waste and mess in storing oil spouts have long been recognized. Like many other problems, there are solutions--but no ideal solutions. An inventive improvement over the prior oil spout handling equipment should solve the problem of mess and waste in a simple, convenient manner.